“Felon,” “thug,” “superpredator,” “criminal”—these are the ways politicians often talk about people convicted of crimes. As a result, most people don’t have a clear picture of who is actually affected by mass incarceration and what it’s like to be incarcerated. We look at the people entangled in the criminal legal system over the past 30 years and discuss what prison is actually like.

Hosted by:

Josie Duffy Rice,
Journalist and Writer

Featuring:

Daryl V. Atkinson,
Co-Director and Co-Founder, Forward Justice

David Ayala,
Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement

Terrell Blount,
Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network

Gina Clayton-Johnson,
Executive Director, Essie Justice Group

Vivian D. Nixon,
Writer in Residence, Columbia Justice Lab Square One Project

John Pfaff,
Professor of Law, Fordham Law School

Nkechi Taifa,
President, The Taifa Group, LLC

Zoë Towns,
Executive Director, FWD.us

Nick Turner,
President and Director, Vera Institute of Justice

For more information about each episode and to find full transcripts, visit www.vera.org/thirtyyearproject and follow Vera Institute of Justice on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X/Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.